Monobeam systems and apparatus



P 1958 A. L. WENNER-GREN ET AL 2,853,956

MONOBEAM SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28. 1953INVENTORS N L. s ENMWW. K E R mR 0 MI! T NH M E E FT .am L

.ww L u v A B Se t. 30, 1958 A. WENNER-GREN ET AL A 2,353,956

MONOBEAM SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

INVENTORS AxEL L. WENNERGREN 'JOSEF H\NSKEN WALTER RETHEL.

ATTORN Y5 p 30, 1958 A. L. WENNERGREN ET AL 2,853,956

MONOBEAM SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28. 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3-INVENTORS Axel. L. WENNERGREN J'osEF HINSKEN WALTER RE'i'HEL AT TO EYS p1958 A. L. WENNER-GREN ET AL 2,853,956

v MONOBEAM SYSTEMS AND'APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28. 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 4NVENTORS AXEL L. WENNERGREN JosEF HINSKEN W R 1' BY ALTER v 1-: HEL

m i l ATTONEVS P 30, 1958 A. L. WENNER-GREN ET AL 2,853,956

MONOBEAM SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28, 1953 Y 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Fig.6

INVENTORS} J'osEF HINSKEN WALTER RETHEL BY v W MV'W I I AT 1- NEYS AXELL. WENNERGREN United StatesPatent O MONOBEAM SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS AxelL. Wenner-Gren, Mexico City, Mexico, and Josef Hinsken,Koln-Weidenpesch, and Walter Rethel, Koln, Germany, assignors toAlweg-Forschung, Gesellschaft mit beschriinkter Haftung, Koln, GermanyThe present invention relates to improvements in monobeam systems andapparatus and more specifically to a monobeam railroad in which thevehicles, travelling upon a single beam track construction, are providedwith carrying wheels to support the vehicle upon the beam and withlateral stabilizing wheels held in contact with the sides of the beam.

In such prior monorail systems as have been pro: posed-and in a fewcases actually built- -the vehicles were designed to operate solely ontheir monorail track. However, in many cases it would be a advantage tobe able to transit the vehicles on to a road or to an open area in orderto gain more traffic elasticity or mi group the vehicles in any desiredorder.

A primary object of the present invention accordingly is to provide anovel combination of train and track in. which the vehicles may transitfrom the beam to a road or other open area or vice versa.

Since the time factor is always a major problem inall: railroadoperation another object of the invention is to train may continue totravel self-propelled on a road or other open area having no track orrails.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel combinationof train and track in which the same wheels used for stabilizing thevehicles when operating on the beam can be used as driving and/orrunning wheels to support the vehicles on a flat road.

A further object of the invention is to provide bogies carrying thestabilizing wheels with an automatic device by means of which anadjustment of the stabilizing wheels is automatically effected when thevehicle is transiting from the beam-shaped track to the road or viceversa. f

A still further object of the invention is to provide for the adjustmentof the stabilizing wheels by constructing the supporting track structurein such a way that the wheels strictly and automatically follow aspecial helically formed surface of the track within the transitionarea.

These and otherobjects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed disclosures of embodiments thereof and from the scopeof the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a bogie without driving elements for amonobeam railway with vehicles embracing the monobeam and having lateralwheels running on the vertical surfaces and supporting wheels running onthe horizontal top surface of the beam, the sets of lateral wheels atthe opposite sides of the beam being shown in different positions.

Fig. 2 is a lateral view partly in cross section of a bogie as shown inFig. 1 installed in a vehicle of a monobeam railway.

Fig. 3 shows, on a smaller scale, a detail of a structure for swingablymounting the stabilizing wheels.

Fig. 4 is a front view and partly a cross section ofa bogie having anelectric motor mounted on the axle of the stabilizing wheels, saidwheels being shown in each ofthe operating positions.

Fig. 5 is a lateral view of a bogie driven by an electric motor attachedto the bogie.

Fig. 6 shows the transition track which performs the adjustment of thelateral stabilizing wheels when the vehicle passes from one type ofsupporting structure to the other.

Fig. 1 shows on the left hand side the position of the swingable wheelswhen operating on the carrying beam which may be elevated by resting onpylons, whereas the right hand side of the figure demonstrates the wheelposition adjusted for operating on the road.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the car body 10 shown indot-and-dash lines rest on the bogie, as will be described in connectionwith Fig. 2.

In the bogie are supported the carrying wheels 12 which run on tires,and the lateral stabilizing or guiding wheels 14 which are also providedwith tires.

Thesewheels run on thebeam-shaped supporting structure 16,,which isshown in dot-and-dash lines. The bogie comprises two parallellongitudinal box girders 18, one on each side of the carrying wheels 12.Girders 18 are connected by several transverse girders 20 and mounted onthem there are vertically extending members 22 which carry the pillowblocks 24. Divergent arms 26 'are mounted on the girders 18 and carrybearings 28 for a construction shown in detail also in Fig. 3.

Journalled in the bearings 28 are pivots 30 which are rigidly secured toa tubelike member 32 which, in turn,

is rigidly secured for instance by welding, to a connecting plate 34rigidly secured to a shaft 36.

Shaft 36 is swingably pivoted in bearings 38 formed in one end of acarrying structure consisting of two interconnected arms 40 having ribs42 to form a rigid structure. At their other ends arms 40 are connectedby means of a plate 44 which forms a support for two springs 46, theother ends of which bear against a second plate 48 rigidly secured tothe tube 32.

Arms 40 have rigidly secured to them bearings 50' for the axle 52 of thestabilizing wheels 14. Numeral 54 generally indicates a shock absorberof any convenient design. The construction as shown and describedenables the stabilizing wheels 14 to swing around shaft 36 while beingresiliently supported by arms40.

At the front and rear ends of girders 18 there are also mounted shorterarms 56 and 58; In the front ends of the arms 56 lateral auxiliaryguiding wheels 60 are.

pivoted while arms 58 extend about in the prolongation of girders 18 andcarry emergency carrying steel wheels 62 which in the event one (-ormore) of the carrying wheels 12 gets damaged, takes over its function.The axle of each of said emergency wheels is provided with a contact 64actuating a signalling device when the load passes over from the tires14 to the steel wheels 62. By means of lateral connecting arms 66 (Fig.2) the arms 26 and 56 are firmly connected with one another and with thegirders 18 to form-together a rigid bogie.

The bearingsof the steel wheel 62 are eccentrically supported so thatthe vertical level of the wheels in respect to the supporting beam 16 isadjustable within definite limits, preferably in such a manner that,when the carrying wheels 12 have normal tire pressure, the wheels 62 donot rest on top of the supporting beam 16, but take over the load incase the air pressure in one of the tires becomes too low, thuspreventing destruction of the-tires. i

As shown in Fig. 2, the car body is supported upon the bogie as follows.The lower part of the car body 10 forms an inverted trough at theuppermost part of which a plate 70 is secured which transfers the loadof the car body through bars 72 on to a cross member 74 extendingbetween the carrying wheels 12.

Member 74 consists of two parallel plates and between them there areslidingly arranged two guiding members 76 having firmly secured to themtwo hemispheric bearing shells 78 surrounding a ball pivot 80 projectingfrom the bogie. Thus the guiding members 76 allow a relative movementbetween the bogie and the car body only in a vertical but not in ahorizontal direction.

As can be seen from Figures 4 and 5 the member 74 is connected withsliding plates 82, one on each side of the carrying wheels 12. Thesliding plates 82 rest on conical rollers 84 which, on the other hand,rest on lower plates 86. Rigidly connected to the bogie there are plates89 on which rest spring plates 90 which carry springs 88 resting againstupper spring plates 91 rigidly connected with plates 86 and carrying thesame in a resilient manner. Guiding means (not shown) may be used toprevent lateral displacements of the springs 88, if desired.

Referring to Fig. 4, at the lower end of the pivot 80 there is a smallworm wheel 92 engaging a worm 94 which forms a part of a conventionalsteering mechanism to be used when the car travels on a flat road.

Fig. 6 shows a transition part for enabling vehicles to go over from thebeam 16 to the flat road 110. The guiding surfaces 112 of the beam 16gradually changes their inclination by being formed helically so thatfrom the section 114 they gradually change through an angle of 90degrees until they reach the section 116 which is horizontal andpreferably runs out to the street level. The guiding surfaces 112, oneon each side of the beam, compel the pair of wheels 14 shown on the lefthand side in Fig. l to swing over to the position shown on the righthand side of Fig. 1, using the pivots 30 as swinging axis. The vehicleis now adapted for travel on the road and, if desired, the wheels 14 maybe locked in their right hand position of Fig. l to ensure full safetyagainst unintended back swinging movements by a conventionaldisengageable latch mechanism mounted between bearings 28 and the pivot30.

When the wheels 14 have assumed their position for travelling on theroad the beam 16 is no longer necessary and accordingly the samegradually decreases in height from the section 116 until it ceaseseither suddenly or reaches the level on the road. As soon as the heightof the beam has been decreased somewhat the wheels 14 will take over theload and carry the vehicle. The steering mechanism briefly describedabove may go be used when the vehicle leaves the beam and a driver maytravel with this vehicle as with a truck on the road.

The bogie as shown in Fig. 4 is self-propelled by means of electricmotors 96 arranged on shafts 52 to drive wheels 14. These electricmotors may be fed from a n5 diesel-electric aggregate (not shown) whichis located in any convenient space in the train.

The swinging movement of the lateral wheels 14 may also be efiected byan actuating mechanism such as a pneumatically or hydraulically actuatorcylinder 98 mounted on the bogie and having a piston rod 100 con- G0nected to a bell crank 102 suitably connected to the pivot supportstructure for the wheels.

Fig. 5 shows a driving means for the driving wheels 14 consisting of anelectric motor 104 which is supported by the bogie and more particularlyby the arms 26 thereof. In this way it is possible to reduce theunsprung weight. The motor 104 is coupled to the shaft 52 of the wheels14 by means of a suitable gear located within the housing 108. The shaft106 of the motor is coupled to said gear by means of a universal joint110 in order to allow the swinging motions of the pair of wheels. Thecar may be of any suitable form and accommodated for passengers orgoods.

The invention has been described herein in its broad features only, andit should be understood that it is not restricted to the particulararrangement, proportions and sizes of parts, and that it is susceptibleof modifications and changes within the limit of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A monobeam transportation system comprising, an elongated beam havingan upper running surface and side running surfaces, a vehicle having abody; a bogie structure, means attaching said bogie structure to saidbody, said bogie structure having lateral extensions projecting 0downwardly on opposite sides of said beam, at least one load carryingwheel journalled on said bogie structure for rotation about an axissubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said beam and adaptedto travel along said upper surface of said beam; wheel supportingassemblies freely pivotally mounted on said extensions about axessubstantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said beam, wheelsjournalled on said wheel supporting assemblies, and adapted to travel incontact with said side surfaces of said beam; and a transition portionon said beam having outwardly concave, smoothly curved side surfaces ofgradually changing inclination and merging at one end into said beamside surfaces and at the other end with a substantially horizontalrunning surface to automatically pivot said wheel supporting assembliesand said wheels from a position engaging said side surfaces of said beamto a position for travel on a substantially horizontal running surfaceand vice versa.

2. A monobeam transportation system comprising, an elongated beam havingan upper running surface and side running surfaces, a vehicle having abody; a bogie structure, means attaching said bogie structure to saidbody, said bogie structure having lateral extensions projectingdownwardly on opposite sides of said beam, at least one load carryingwheel journalled on said bogie structure for rotation about an axissubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said beam and adaptedto travel along said upper surface of said beam; wheel supporting as-'semblies freely pivotally mounted on said extensions about axessubstantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said beam, wheelsjournalled on said wheel supporting assemblies, and adapted to travel incontact with said side surfaces of said beam; and means on said beamengaging said Wheels to pivot said Wheel supporting assemblies and saidwheels from a position engaging said side surfaces of said beam to aposition for travel on a substantially horizontal running surface andvice versa.

3. In a monobeam transportation system having an elongated beam providedwith top and side running surfaces disposed above ground level: avehicle adapted to run along said beam, at least one load carryingwheel; means on said vehicle journalling said load carrying wheel forrotation about a substantially horizontal axis transverse to thelongitudinal axis of said beam whereby said load carrying wheel isadapted to ride along said top running surface; lateral wheelsjournalled on an axle, a pivot shaft mounted in said vehicle andextending substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of saidbeam, support means spring-suspending said lateral wheels from saidpivot shaft for rotation about axes normal to the axis of said pivotshaft and at opposite sides thereof whereby said lateral wheels aremovable between a first position in which they engage said side runningsurfaces and a second position in which they engage horizontal runningsurfaces disposed at ground level and are normally restrained againstmovement about said pivot shaft by contact with the surfaces along whichthey are running, and means on said beam engaging said lateral wheels topivot said support means and said wheels between said first and secondpositions.

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